Christmas Yearning
by Lovely Spell
Summary: Young!Naruto Young!Sasuke fic. Naruto has grown up alone and is used to loneliness. Sasuke is a young boy trying to survive beyond the horrible tragedy surrounding his family. They have nobody, until they find each other.


Hey guys! ^_^ This is a little late, but it was my Christmas fic for last year. Lol sorry. I was busy with the anime convention, but I've quit that. I'm back to writing. Here is a sweet child sasuke and child naruto fic. If you like it **please review** it and **check out my other child fic Tough Skin**.

Thanks!

I dont own Naruto series/manga or anything like that.

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Merry Little Christmas**

_You can't yearn for something you've never known._

The food was always hot and although the room was barren, except for a mattress and a sheet, it was usually warm. The 25th was just another day on the calendar. The month brought fireworks for an unknown reason as well as snow and an almost unbearable cold on the nights the windows remained open.

He'd always been alone. Naruto knew nothing more than loneliness. He'd grown up with it. He'd become accustomed to it. They had an understanding and a knowledge of each other beyond what other people knew. He'd never wondered beyond what he had and was content with what he was given.

_You can't appreciate all you've had until you've been without._

It was the first winter spent alone for Sasuke. He was still sad. He missed his family and much of what had happened wasn't easy to recall. He sat in a village provided room and waited. He wasn't sure for what, but the loneliness was intense.

He'd never missed warmth of family so much as he had that winter. He missed the comfort of vases and furniture. The empty room was nothing like his home had been. There were no snow lilies or greenery to brighten up the room. There were no cooking noises in the kitchen only the sad knock of the man who brought him food.

Sasuke dressed with his clan symbol etched on his back. He was the last one. He was the only one now as far as he recalled. He missed everything he once took for granted. He wanted it back just for a day. He wanted to thank his mother. He wanted to hug his father even if he refused. He wanted more time with his older brother and maybe some time to look upon the proud faces of his clan once more.

Sasuke sighed. It was all gone. What else could he lose that he hadn't lost already?

_With new knowledge comes a better understanding, appreciation for the little things and yearning for the big things you've never had._

The fireworks would start soon. Naruto knew this because of the stands set up in the center of the town. He knew better than to go out there, but that didn't mean he'd stay in. He had his own secret place. He'd been watching the fireworks from that spot for years. With a full stomach of warm ramen and a blanket he sneaked out of his window and climbed up onto his roof. From there he'd go down to the empty part of town with the old iron gates. There was a tall tower there, which once housed those who guarded that grand place.

Sasuke looked at his calendar. It was the only thing he'd taken from the remains of his room. It was a small calendar that fit in his hand and pocket. It was Christmas Eve. He'd spend it alone for the first time. As he sat in the quiet place he felt restless. He didn't want to be alone. In a vain attempt to pretend it was all a dream, Sasuke dressed for the cold and left his room. He walked around the back and through the streets until he saw the gate that revived memories instantly.

He smiled as he saw the Uchiha crest. It was home. He ran through the gates and through the path between the houses. He could almost see the lights inside the regal homes. Hanging down lighting the way on the streets were red paper lanterns lit bright. He could smell the warm food cooking in the homes and almost hear the other kids talking and sitting in the streets on their grandparents lap.

Then Sasuke stopped running. His boots crunched the dirty snow. The ashes continued to mix and blacken the pure white snow. He looked around and in the scorched remains there was nothing. The homes were dark. The doors hung off their frames and the windows were mostly broken and grey. Nobody was cooking. There were no happy children or grandparents sharing smiles and kind looks. He stood alone. The last Uchiha to stand in their complex.

A light shone for a second from the old watch tower, one which had burned down before the complex had been emptied. It struck a chord of excitement in Sasuke and he ran towards it unafraid.

Naruto sat in the tower and tried to hide the lantern he'd taken on the way to keep him company. He couldn't quite reach high enough to hang it up so he hid it near his blanket. In the darkness all he could see were the bright lights of the village and his own small light.

It was the creaking of the ladder that gave Sasuke away. Naruto sat behind an old desk with his lantern. In his hurry he left his blanket behind. He couldn't be caught outdoors. He knew it was forbidden without the Hokage.

Sasuke saw the remains of the tower. They were pretty stable and probably the only thing that wasn't in shambles in the old part of the complex. He could hear the skittering of somebody's feet. He easily saw the light coming from the bottom of a desk. Its legs held the bottom edge a good 5 inches off the ground and through that small space the lantern was easily visible.

"H-hello?" Sasuke asked nervously. The same excitement swept through him. In his heart he wished it was another Uchiha. His head knew better, but as a child it was always easier to bet on his heart.

Naruto moved as he heard somebody call. He tried to turn down the lamp's flame without extinguishing it. He didn't know who it was and didn't want to find out.

"Who's there?" Sasuke asked once more as he approached the desk from behind. The first thing he saw was the swirl on the back of the kids jacket. His smile disappeared. The blonde hiding under the desk slowly turned half afraid. "Hi." Sasuke said as the kid came out with his lantern.

"I wasn't doing anything!" Naruto quickly defended. He looked at his lantern and then at the scorched scene and buildings around him. "It wasn't me!" He said in an instant. "I didn't do it." He said again at the other boy.

Sasuke looked about as Naruto did. He then smirked. "Of course you didn't. This place has been like this since I can remember." Sasuke said in a superior tone.

Naruto felt relief. He smiled at Sasuke and waited.

"So, what are you doing up here?" Sasuke finally asked.

Naruto was happy to share his private hide-out with somebody who didn't think the worst of him at first sight. "I'm going to watch the bright fireworks in the sky." Naruto pointed and directed Sasuke to the town.

"Why don't you go into town? There's games and food. It also has a better view." Sasuke said this from experience. He'd been in a festive kimono along with the rest of his family the last time he was there. His father's usually serious face was almost joyous. Itachi had been with him most of the night. He'd taken Sasuke to play games while his parents walked through the stalls. His mother was beautiful in her night sky blue kimono, her pale skin bright as moonlight. Her dark hair was an inky black and quite distinct even on the dark kimono spotted with sparkly stars. She was perfect. Sasuke looked back at Naruto. He wouldn't go back to that place. It held just one too many painful memories for him.

"I-I'm not allowed." Naruto confessed. He put his lamp on the desk. The light given wasn't enough to illuminate all of Sasuke. Naruto guessed he was around his age, so he may not know what all the adults seemed to know.

"Me neither." Sasuke said although his sorrow was the only thing stopping him. "So what are you doing for Christmas?" He asked guessing that Naruto would soon return to his family.

"What's that?" Naruto asked eagerly while hoping it was edible.

"Christmas?" Sasuke said and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean what is it?" He couldn't imagine that somebody wouldn't know what Christmas was.

"Yeah, what is it? Is it food?" Naruto's eyes lit up. He hadn't had a home cooked meal in a long time. The Hokage had once brought him food from his own home. It had been better than the cup ramen and all the food packs!

"No. Its a-a day when your family all comes together and everybody gets presents. People sit around and open gifts. There's hot dinner. Your mom makes food and your dad will put the star on the tree." Sasuke went off in his own little world picturing all his past Christmas experiences and recounting them for Naruto. "There's warm pies and pictures. There are lots of gifts and hugs." Sasuke was getting more animated and his smile was reaching his eyes. "Its the happiest time of the year." He said. Finally with a deep sigh, Sasuke looked at Naruto. He would never have that again. He'd never be able to see his family in those moments and all the pictures of their memories were gone.

Naruto's mouth was open. He couldn't imagine all the things he was being told. How could there be gifts and food and people all in the same place! And what was a picture? "Wow! Where do you go to get family?" He asked innocently.

"You can't get family." Sasuke said in a serious voice. If that was possible, he would've brought all his back. "They're there from the beginning. They're always there when you need them. They take care of you and feed you and love you. Then one day they just go away." Sasuke said sadly. He recalled how quickly it had all changed. One day he was surrounded by family and normal days. The next, he was alone in a home without furniture.

Naruto nodded. He understood that. He knew Sasuke was alone just as he was and had always been. "Then I don't think I've gotten family yet. I've never had anybody, so nobody has had a chance to go away." Naruto approached Sasuke very close. "Will you be my family?" Naruto felt embarrassed just then. "I just thought..." He was already 6. He probably shouldn't have asked somebody to join his lonely world. "I'll never leave, if you don't." He promised.

Sasuke nodded and took Naruto's hand. He led him to the edge of the tower nearest the village. From there they could watch the fireworks together. Just like families should and did every year.

Sasuke accepted the proposition. He couldn't lose another person, but he didn't want to be alone. In his great sorrow a little light had just shone.

Naruto took a deep breath. He had family. He wasn't alone. With one last breath of cool air he said goodbye to his good friend, loneliness.


End file.
